Category: Reviews (Page 199 of 200)

OMD History Of Modern

14 September 2010 /


The Future, The Past, And Forever After

OMD launched their new album ‘History Of Modern’ at a lavish party hosted by Panasonic in London with a playback and special live performance by its founding duo Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys. In a packed Club24, OMD delivered a short sharp set of the singles ‘Electricity’, ‘Souvenir’, ‘Maid Of Orleans’ and ‘Enola Gay’ in addition to some new songs including the wonderfully sublime Green and ‘History of Modern (Part I)’ which is set to become a live favourite of the future.

As with many of OMD’s best songs, the fascination with technology’s effect on life and death has long been a creative catalyst. Inspired by The Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest and highest-energy particle accelerator, Part I of the title track is all about the ‘Big Bang Theory’ and the inevitable end of the Universe. Its scaling detuned vibrato riff is the magnificently prominent element that provides a full spacey effect.

With echoes of their formative Eric’s days, the pair were extremely confident on the tiny stage and highly appreciative of the crowd, even taking time out to thank particularly all the personnel from the various websites that have kept the OMD flame of hope burning over decades. Following this memorable live presentation, the gathered were then treated to a wonderful history lesson in danceable electronic pop, courtesy of DJ Mark Jones from Back To The Phuture.

‘History of Modern’ itself is the first collection of songs to be released under the OMD banner for 14 years. Andy McCluskey says of the album: “It basically sounds like OMD! If OMD can’t sound like OMD, then who can? There’s lots of analogue synth sounds! There’s lots of drum machines sounds! There’s lots of Mellotron sounds! There’s even a few cheesy organ sounds in there as well!”

Following his exclusive interview earlier in the year, Paul Humphreys Paul Humphreys was kind enough to talk to ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK again about several of the album’s key tracks and the choice of support acts for the forthcoming tour.

Congratulations on the beautiful ‘New Holy Ground’…

I’m really pleased with that one. I think Andy and I realised towards the end of making this album that we should have actually stayed in a room together and worked because I went up and spent a few weeks to kind of change things on the album and to write some new tracks. We just decided we needed some extra tracks for B-sides so we thought we’d do a track in the spirit of ‘The Avenue’ because it’s one of our favourite B-sides.

Andy became a member of this online sound effects website so you can download anything from it, it’s made for film I think; it’s an enormous library. So we went looking for something rhythmical and Andy had browsed before I got there and found a few things; we really liked the steps, there’s this woman walking on a very hard floor but it was a bit random so we put it into the computer and got it in synch to make a beat. What’s great about it is she keeps coming towards you and going away again which is a bit disturbing! But we thought let’s make that the drum track, just the girl walking.

So I got out a whole load of appropriate sounds on my synths; a virtual choir, a Prophet 5… basically all the instruments that I used to use in those days! The string part is a really out of tune Prophet which was one of my favourite sounds and a Roland bass. And off we went really! We wrote the song in three hours and I threw a whole load of ideas music wise onto the Protools whilst Andy just wrote a load of lyrics. Three hours later, we had a song. And we loved it so much we thought “Right, that’s got to go on the album!”

Is it your favourite from the selection?

Yeah, that and ‘Green’ I think.

So how did ‘Green’ come about because Stuart Kershaw had a part in that?

Yeah, it was a song Andy did many, many years ago with Stuart and I think it was done in the 90s. He played it to me and it sounded a bit like a rock ballad. I said “I think the vocal tune’s great, but everything else has to go” *laughs*

I said “Give me the vocal stem and I’ll do a whole new track for it” so I came to my studio and completely reworked it.

What was your inspiration for the way the bass comes in and how the rhythmic backbone almost stutters?

A little bit of ‘Almost’ actually because that was my reference point. There’s this sort of white noise-like cymbal that goes in all the way. And I thought I’d do it in a very modern way with just a bass sequencer, electronic drums and some OMD-ish strings and choirs.

The lovely coda of ‘Green’ reminds me a lot of ROXY MUSIC’s ‘If There Is Something’, is there any influence there possibly?

Yeah, maybe! No, it’s just coincidence! *laughs*

What was the background to ‘History of Modern (Part II)’?

That was a track that I actually wrote for ONETWO and one of those tracks we couldn’t sort out, we couldn’t finish it off. So I sent it to Andy and he came up with a new vocal for it. I worked on lots of bits of the album, replaying things and changing things.

What do you think of the two support acts that have been lined up for the ‘History Of Modern’ tour, VILLA NAH and MIRRORS?

VILLA NAH are brilliant, I love them. I think it’s just great electronic pop with a dark touch to it. I’m looking forward to sharing a stage with them.

In Europe, we have MIRRORS. I went to see them in Camden at Proud. They’re lovely blokes and I was absolutely blown away by them. It was like looking back in time, they were wearing shirts and ties and jackets – I’m going to bring a picture of me and Andy from the early 80s to show them that we looked exactly like them!

MIRRORS’ singer James New in a strange way, is you and Andy’s love child! Is there something you haven’t told us?

I think that’s a funny comment! We’ll keep that to ourselves *laughs*

Their songs are brilliant and their whole stage presentation… James has got a little of Ian Curtis in him as well, this awkward persona on stage which I think is really appealing, I think he’s great. I’m so happy, I can’t wait to go on tour with them.

I think the Germans are going to love MIRRORS!

Yes, I think they are!

ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK gives its warmest thanks to Paul Humphreys

Special thanks to Claudia Brücken

‘History Of Modern’ is available now as a CD, vinyl LP and download

OMD’s ‘History Of Modern’ tour includes:

UK – special guests VILLA NAH
Brighton Dome (Oct 29), Bristol Colston Hall (Oct 31), Nottingham Royal Centre (Nov 1), Glasgow Concert Hall (Nov 2), Liverpool Arena (Nov 4), Ipswich Regent (Nov 5), London Hammersmith Apollo (Nov 7), Birmingham Symphony Hall (Nov 8)

Europe – special guests MIRRORS
Cologne E-Werk (Nov 11), Hannover Capitol (Nov. 12), Leipzig Haus Auensee (Nov 13), Stuttgart Theaterhaus (Nov 15), Munich Tonhalle (Nov 16), Berlin Tempodrom (Nov 18), Hamburg Docks (Nov 19), Luxembourg Den Atelier (Nov 21), Brussels Ancienne Belgique (Nov 22), Amsterdam Paradiso (Nov 23), Le Casino De Paris (Nov 25)

www.omd.uk.com

Text and Interview by Chi Ming Lai
14th September 2010

HURTS Happiness

31 August 2010 /

“After buckets of blood, tears and gold and emptying the contents of our hearts, it is now over. We feel proud to announce that we will call our child ‘Happiness'” was how HURTS announced the arrival of their debut long player.

Consisting of singer Theo Hutchcraft and instrumentalist Adam Anderson, melancholic optimism and music of distinct quality remain their passion and goal. Following a period of relative inactivity using the less means more philosophy, HURTS have finally allowed the public hear what the fuss has been all about following the appearance of the monochromatic viral video of ‘Wonderful Life’ over a year ago.

With approval from no-less than Claudia Brücken of PROPAGANDA whose ‘Dr. Mabuse’ was a big influence on the track, ‘Wonderful Life’ has no less impact now even in slightly remixed form and remains electrifyingly elegant.

Like most of the ‘Happiness’ album, it is also has a distinctly European sound. Produced by Jonas Quant and Joseph Cross along with HURTS, their overall sound is more of utilising gadgetry to avoid landfill indie and R’n’B cliques rather than being a distinct synthesizer duo.

So ‘Happiness’ features guitar, sax and piano alongside lush orchestrations and big drum sounds housed within a deep compression chamber. Cultivated mostly at a moody mid-tempo pace, this provides a misty film noir sophistication although with its lack of distinct dance beats, this soundtrack is not for shallow heads and hearts.

‘Better Than Love’ is one of the lost singles of 2010. Its euphoric nature almost sounds strangely out of place on ‘Happiness’ but some enhanced percussion adds extra bite compared with the single version. Uptempo and sparky, the only let down in an otherwise very good pop tune is the 90s boy band bridge after the chorus. It is the tendency to enter this territory, especially on the ballads that could be considered HURTS’ weakness. Most of the time, they get away with it but here, they don’t.

The slow ‘Blood, Tears & Gold’ was inconclusive on its initial appearance as HURTS’ second viral video but actually comes across very well on record thanks to the widescreen production – do not listen to this as a download or on YouTube, half the grandeur will be lost. Meanwhile on the superb ‘Sunday’, HURTS up the tempo with some pulsing octave shifts and become ULTRAVOX with a touch of A-HA. Sumptuous Eurocentric electronics add theatre to the punchy textural dynamics.

‘Stay’, a slightly more vibrant but intense cousin to ‘Blood, Tears & Gold’, is broken and affecting. Here, Theo exposes a feeling of melodramatic despair but the chanting chorus somehow lifts and soars. With backing of epic proportions, ‘Evelyn’ could lyrically even be a haunting male take on GOLDFRAPP’s ‘A&E’; “Stay with me Evelyn” cries Theo, “Don’t leave me with the medicine!”.

A burst of Gallic accordion introduces ‘Devotion’ and sees Theo duetting with Kylie minogue, HURTS having already brilliantly covered ‘Confide In Me’ on a Biz session recently. In a similar vein to ‘Confide In Me’ if a little darker, ‘Devotion’ is actually much more convincing than ‘In Denial’, Ms Minogue collaboration with PET SHOP BOYS. A brilliantly uplifting chorus makes this a beautiful album highlight. ‘Unspoken’ is already known by some in the form of a frantically rhythmical remix by Fred Falke. Now as a stark ballad, the orchestral arrangement is punctuated with heavy synth bass and piano which works well, especially as the song builds to a cohesive climax.

‘The Water’ provides an emotive finish to the collection, starting with just piano before becoming a full on classically laden movement… this could be the missing Part 4 of MUSE’s ‘Exogenesis: Symphony’! But there’s an extra treat in hidden track ‘Verona’ which starts with the ocean waves and some piano in waltz time. Eventually joined by a string quartet, it turns into a bit of a Mediterranean sea shanty!

However, the two songs in the HURTS catalogue which, judging by the demos and live renditions, had the greatest potential are sadly the album’s disappointments. ‘Silver Lining’ which opens ‘Happiness’ originally possessed the gothic percussive drama of ‘Songs of Faith and Devotion’ era DEPECHE MODE accompanied by the devil’s choir from ‘The Omen’. But this has been watered down and the final take severely lacks impact. As a development of the ‘Silver Lining’ template, ‘Illuminated’ also had its own pensive tension but the neo-operatic edge that was prominent in the earlier version has now been lost.

Both tracks should have turned out more like the magnificence of either ‘Devotion’ or ‘Stay’. In some respects, this album could be compared to TEARS FOR FEARS’ ‘The Hurting’; terrific in places but with missed opportunities on some truly great compositions.

Worthy of mention though not on the album is the missing title track ‘Happiness’ with its metallic percussion, histrionic synths and rousing chorus. Available as a download from Amazon, it is a glorious highlight in their live show and thoroughly deserved inclusion on the final tracklisting. The final solution may be then to see HURTS live!

HURTS were in danger of being considered style over substance. While not entirely meeting expectations, ‘Happiness’ has many outstanding moments. But there is still more promise to be unlocked. If the Scott Walker of circa 1967-69 had the 21st Century instrumentation available to him then, he would sound like HURTS. Like Theo and Adam, when he was good, he was simply out of this world.

‘Happiness’ is released by Major Label/Sony Music on 6th September 2010

http://www.informationhurts.com/

https://www.facebook.com/hurts/

Text by Chi Ming Lai
31st August 2010, updated 20th October 2013

GARY NUMAN Micromusic DVD

11 June 2010 /

Gary Numan was one of the UK’s biggest stars. In the space of just two years he had amassed three number 1 albums; two number 1 singles and a huge legion of fans. However, his overnight success came at a price.

He was vilified by the UK press, and away from the spotlight he was beset by a lack of self-confidence. As a result, at the height of his fame in 1981, he announced his retirement from live shows.

To mark the occasion he staged a spectacular farewell concert over three nights at Wembley Arena. This farewell show is now available for the first time on DVD, with remastered sound and a new interview with Gary Numan. Watching the DVD, the first thing that strikes you is the sheer scale of the production.

By 1981 Numan had already established a reputation for his extravagant stage sets, and for these final concerts he was determined to go out in style. The Wembley stage featured huge towers of light panels; revolving pyramids and a remote-controlled car, all amid a sea of dry ice. According to his lighting designers at the time, the show took two months to construct and cost Numan around £150,000 to stage. Watching this DVD it’s easy to see why!

The two hour set mostly comprises material from his three classic albums: ‘Replicas’, ‘The Pleasure Principle’ and ‘Telekon’. As a body of work it is consistently impressive. The likes of ‘Cars’ and ‘Are Friends Electric?’ are here of course, but there are a number of album tracks that could just have easily been singles; eg ‘Metal’, ‘Films’, ‘I Dream of Wires’.

Numan now says that one his reasons for retiring from live shows was to hone his songwriting skills, but ironically many of his best songs had already been written! Numan himself is a great showman, prowling the stage, mouthing silent words, and gazing out from the stage with that distinctive alien stare. It is that look which is so mesmerising and has kept fans coming to his gigs after all these years.

In spite of his robotic detachment, this is at times an emotional show. Red roses and teddy bears are thrown onto the stage by adoring fans. Towards the end of the set Numan sits on the edge of the stage to sing ‘Please Push No More’ and his ice-cool composure visibly cracks. The lyrics “now it’s all over for sure” will bring a tear to the eye of any fan of this genre! At the end of the show, after a roof-raising ‘We Are Glass’, Numan poignantly says “this has been the greatest two years I’ve ever had, thank you”, and then he is gone; an icon bowing out long before his time.

Numan’s retirement from touring was, as it turned out, short lived and he was back on the road just over a year later. The ‘Micromusic’ DVD includes a fascinating present-day interview, in which Numan talks candidly about the farewell shows and his reasons for retiring. At the time, he says, it felt like the right thing to do as he found it hard to deal with the constant attention from the press and the fans. But at the very moment he left the stage, he knew he had made a huge mistake. To sum up, he now says of the show, “I’m really proud of it, but wish I’d never done it”.

Having watched the ‘Micromusic’ DVD, I caught up with ELECTRICITYCLUB.CO.UK’s Chi Ming Lai who was lucky enough to be at the final Wembley show back in 1981…

Photo by Peter Gilbert

I really enjoyed watching this DVD but nothing can compare to being there! Tell us what it was like.

It was my second ever concert and it was jaw-dropping! It made such an impression on me that I can still remember moments from it distinctly. Even little things like guitarist RRussell Bell doing a Bez-like handclap dance during ‘M.E.’, TIK and TOK’s robot movements to ‘I Dream Of Wires’ and the male members of the audience wolf whistling when it appeared that one of the girls from SHOCK was topless during her routine to ‘Trois Gymnopedies’!

My particular highlights included ‘Everyday I Die’ when he shone a huge spotlight into the audience, his robot car in ‘Down In The Park’ (although it does look like a Gothic Sinclair C5 now!) and everyone singing along to ‘Please Push No More’. But it really was all brilliant… even the moment when the band got out of synch with the ‘She’s Got Claws’ backing tape! It was a brand new song at the time so no-one really noticed, even though it sounded a bit odd!!

Songwise, the set list was a perfect example of Numan in his prime. All his best stuff got played that night and there was the live premiere of ‘Complex’ too. But even before it all started, the atmosphere on the floor area was electric, people were already standing up and there was a big surge to the front. Unfortunately, I was stuck in the upper tier so the show was a lot more detached at our end… people didn’t feel able to get up and dance until the encore and we were pretty envious of all the fans below.

The stage set looks immense. How impressive was it in real life? Have you seen anything to top it since?

The stage set was fantastic, I mean it was enormous. For the era, it was massive! There was the ‘Teletour’ towers set, the panels of the ‘Touring Principle’ tilted over on either sides of the stage and a new flying saucer rig hanging above. The footage on ‘Micromusic’ captures it quite well but you really had to have been there, although at no point do you actually see the whole stage set. I honestly don’t think I’ve personally seen anything like this in terms of stage hardware as opposed to LED screens until MUSE’s ‘Haarp’ show at Wembley Stadium in 2007.

It’s also been said that this show was really loud! In the interview on the DVD, Numan claims that low frequency speakers were installed under the floorboards of the arena, so that the venue literally shook when the low notes were played! Is this something you remember? Has your hearing recovered yet?

I don’t remembering it being really loud but it certainly wasn’t quiet. I guess I was too far away from the stage to have really felt the sound as much as those on the floor. The OMD concert I’d been to a few months before was bloody loud though, the bass was really thumping on my chest there and my ears rang for two days!

At certain points in the show, Numan seems quite emotional. Was it an emotional occasion for you?

I definitely remember having a lump in my throat during ‘Please Push No More’ and I could see he was a bit choked… it’s more apparent if you watch the DVD. The performance seemed to say it all, especially when he changed some of the lyrics to suit the occasion. It made me realise what a great song it was having not given it the time of day before.

But GARY NUMAN will always mean something to me; I wouldn’t have got into electronic pop music without him. Yes, it was around before and DAVID BOWIE will say that he nicked all his ideas but Numan was of our generation, our very own hero. I’m a fan of Bowie, but he will never mean as much to me as Numan because it was ‘Are Friends Electric?’ in ’79, not ‘Starman’ in ’72 that I saw on ‘Top Of the Pops’ at that special moment in my life when I was ready to discover something for myself. There really is a unique innocence that gets you following your favourite artists. So for that reason, I can understand why synthpop fans a few years younger than me revere HOWARD JONES!! *laughs*

I finally got to meet GARY NUMAN in 2002 and had my photo taken with him… I have to say, I was absolutely thrilled!

At the time, did you believe that this would really be his last live show?

All us Numanoids really did think Numan was going to pack it in for good so there was definitely an air at Wembley that the fans were going to give him the biggest send-off possible. And it was all very sad when it all ended, but then I got back to school and remembered this group JAPAN being mentioned by Numan in his interviews at the time. So after hearing their brilliant ‘Quiet Life’, I transferred all my energies getting into them! Teenagers can be terribly fickle I’m afraid!

In hindsight, I personally think Numan may have returned to the stage too soon after retiring. It was just over a year after Wembley that he did those low-key ‘I Assassin’ club gigs in America. And then, he did that big ‘Warriors’ comeback tour in ’83. There hadn’t been enough time for people to miss Numan or for the critics to realise just how important he’d been to whole synthesizer thing. It probably didn’t help that Numan appeared to lose his musical direction after those Wembley concerts. It’s understandable really because he was only 23.

‘Dance’ was interesting, but was probably the wrong album at the wrong time and it outstayed its welcome by at least 20 minutes! ‘I Assassin’ had some great stuff on it, but was patchy. And I never liked ‘Warriors’ at all, I still don’t!

He seemed to have got some of it back together for 1985’s ‘The Fury’ but then he got into that funk / rock thing! From what I can understand from reading his ‘Praying To The Aliens’ autobiography, he didn’t find himself musically again until 1994’s ‘Sacrifice’. Whilst I can’t say I’m a big fan of his new darker material, I still take an interest in his stuff and go to the classic album gigs. But the Andy Gray remix of ‘Prayer To The Unborn’ has to be the best thing he’s done in this heavier incarnation and it’s up there with his greatest songs.

‘Micromusic’ is released on DVD by Mortal

https://garynuman.com

https://www.facebook.com/GaryNumanOfficial/

https://twitter.com/numanofficial

Text and Interview by Steve Gray
11th June 2010

VILLA NAH Origin

17 April 2010 /

VILLA NAH are a brilliant new duo hailing from Finland.

Juho Paalosmaa and Tomi Hyyppä took their name from the East Helsinki suburbs where they lived and deliver a form of dreamy synthesizer pop that conjures up aural paintings of snow, fjords and glaciers.

Like their Nordic neighbours KLEERUP and A-HA, the soundtrack they construct has a melancholic edge with uplifting pop melodies. The sadness of Juho’s vocals is often offset by Tomi’s gorgeous vintage sound textures and crisp electronic experimentation.

The single ‘Running On’ is superb octave shift driven pop, sparse and coated with haunting piano. Meanwhile its flipside ‘Ways To Be’ was crowned ‘Song Of The Year’ at Finland’s Dance Awards and at times sounds like Gary Numan produced by Daniel Miller.

But the debut album ‘Origin’ is actually co-produced with Jori Hulkkonen, hailed by some as ‘the most underrated producer in the world’. As ZYNTHERIUS (and not as an F1 driver!) with TIGA, he had a Top 30 hit with an electroclash cover of ‘Sunglasses At Night’ in 2002. He has also since worked with John Foxx and CLIENT as well as a variety of other electronic projects. He keeps ‘Origin’ uncluttered and maintains a body to the sound without having to refer to dirty distortion.

It’s VILLA NAH’s potential to enter the big league. ‘Origin’ also follows the journey of the classic electronic pop album from days gone by featuring the tasteful instrumental interludes ‘Time For Tea’ and ‘Way Of The Future’ in the set.

Of the songs, big percussive claps and analogue soloing really do make ‘Some Kind Of Dream’  and ‘Envelope’, while ‘Autumn Gone’ recalls early BLANCMANGE and is a close cousin to their ‘Wasted’; but halfway though, the track stops and enters into a segment that does exactly what the title says on the tin. Accompanied by sweeping synth patches with steady attack, you can literally see the leaves turning a beautiful brown in your mind.

‘Kiss And Tell’ provides winter chills but is driven by an incessant machine beat. But have you ever heard Gary Numan almost jaunty? With previous single ‘Remains Of Love’, you now can on the poppiest thing that the former Gary Webb never recorded. Juho is next to crying in the wonderful chorus over Tomi’s sharp crystal melodies.

VILLA NAH can be very danceable when the mood takes them and on ‘All The Days’, they effectively rework Giorgio Moroder’s ‘The Chase’ and put their own raved up stamp on it. ‘Rainmaker’ is also quite housey, with echoey, treated piano effects to keep counter the blissful effect of the pulsing bassline.

‘Origin’ is synth dominated and romantic, where dance and pop meet in the middle. The soundscapes and tunes will satisfy those who hark back to a classic blueprint of the male synth duo but want a true 21st Century take on it. Fresh and vibrant while still having an emotive core, VILLA NAH do the job on ‘Origin’.

‘Origin’ is released worldwide as a CD or digital download via Keys Of Life

https://www.facebook.com/villanah/

https://twitter.com/villanah

Text by Chi Ming Lai
17th April 2010

THE GOLDEN FILTER Voluspa

6 April 2010 /

‘Voluspa’ is the impressive new album by THE GOLDEN FILTER. Based in New York, they consist of Aussie vocalist Penelope Trappes and synth programmer Stephen Hindman from Ohio.

While they may reside in the spiritual home of electro-disco, THE GOLDEN FILTER are melodically more rooted in Northern Europe. Indeed the album title comes from the ancient Nordic poem ‘Voluspa’ which relates the story of the creation of the world and its coming end. While often compared to THE KNIFE and almost as enigmatic, THE GOLDEN FILTER are far more accessible.

Graduating from the same school as GOLDFRAPP, MARSHEAUX, LITTLE BOOTS and SAINT ETIENNE, just what do THE GOLDEN FILTER bring to enhance the mix? In addition to the whispering, angelic vocals over the precise electronic blueprint of the above, there is a clean, uncluttered sound accompanied by predominantly disco rhythms.

THE GOLDEN FILTER are best showcased on the three brilliant singles ‘Solid Gold’, ‘Thunderbird’ (both released in 2009) and ‘Hide Me’, all are included on ‘Voluspa’. With the mirrorball in full view, this is DURAN DURAN and BLONDIE meeting GIORGIO MORODER at around 120 bpm in the year 2525.

The album’s highlights ‘Look Me In The Eye’, ‘Stardust’ and ‘Frejya’s Ghost’ follow this aural template of dance. While magnificently rigid, the electronics are let loose with magnificent counter melodies and freeform vibrato synth solos with a distinctly Arabesque feel along for the dreamy ride.

With chunky sequences and slapped bass runs, this could be the sound of many other female fronted electro acts until you throw in string sounds with Eastern scales and frantic, almost tribal percussion. This dance with the devil is like ULTRAVOX’s Warren Cann possessed by the ghost of Cozy Powell! Opener ‘Dance Around The Fire’ takes things to the maximum with some deadly satanic fiddling!

But it’s not all uptempo numbers. ‘The Underdog’ features mid-paced Aengelo Badalementi-styled cinematics while THE GOLDEN FILTER can also take it down for more ‘Love To Love You Baby’ styled grooves on ‘Moonlight Fantasy’. ‘Nerida’s Gone’ has beautiful electronics alongside piano and Mellotron before taking shape as a ballad in the tradition of DEPECHE MODE’s ‘A Question Of Lust’.

Throughout the album, the songs have plenty of room to breathe and there is usual quota of wispy melancholy that would be suited to a festival disco in the gaze of The Northern Lights. Overall, this is a highly enjoyable debut with plenty of mechanical beats for the feet, gorgeous synth textures for the ears and alluring vocals for the heart.

‘Voluspa’ is released by Brille Records on 26th April 2010

https://www.thegoldenfilter.com/

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Text by Chi Ming Lai
6th April 2010

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